Electrically-heated apparatus.



E. E. ROSE.

ELEGTRIGALLY HEATBD APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 7, 191s.

1, 1 1 3,487. 'Patented Oct. 1 3, 1914.

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w /R' m03 A'TTURNEY UN STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E. ROSE, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSEELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICALLY-HEATED APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters.Patent.

Application led February 7, 1913.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. ROSE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Swissvale, inthe county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inElectrically-Heated Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

My inventionrelates to electrically heated apparatus and it has specialreference to bake ovens adapted to be heated by electricity.

The object of my invention is to provide a quick-acting and reliablyoperative` electrical bake oven of large capacity which Vis capable ofready adjustment of the heat distribution over the various heatingsurfaces. f Heretofore, practically all electrical bake ovens have beenconstructed either on the plan of having one large heating unit fromwhich the heat was distributed by convection or else on the theory ofchanging the size of the single heating compartment to obtain thedesired heat regulation. It is also old in the art to provide electricalheaters with a plurality of separate sections which could be cut in orout of the circuit for supplying varying degrees of heat to thediiferent portions of a baking compartment. However, this aifordedmerely a certain number of steps, and regulation between these fixedsteps was impossible. With my invention, an absolutely continuous rangeof temperature gradations is possible, so that an eXact scientificdistribution of heat\ and not merely an approximation may be obtained. Iy

According to one modification of my present invention, I propose toconstruct a bake oven which shall have a plurality of stationary andadjacent movable shelves, with a set of several heaters disposed betweeneach pair of shelves. The adjustment of the distribution of heat to theseveral upper and lower portions of the compartments formed by theshelves is accomplished by causing the pairs of shelves to approach orrecede from each other. In this way, the movable shelves are positionedat a proper distance from the heating units to give the desiredapportionments o the radiated heat.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation, partiallyin section, or" my proposed oven; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same,with parts broken away,

v angle irons 9.

showing the interior construction and also giving a schematic diagram ofelectrical connections for the heater elements; Fig. 3 is a verticalsection of a portion of the oven; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of amodication of my invention, wherein the heater umts, as a unitarystructure, are movable and all of the shelves are made stationary; andFig. 5 is a sectional view of a further modification, wherein the uppershelf car-v rying the material to be baked is movable, andthe lowershelf and heater units are made stationary.

Referring to the drawings, my invention embodies containing-walls 1inclosing a 'plurality of pairs of adjacent shelves 5 and 8, one set ofwhich is 4stationary and the other movable.A Interposed between theshelves 5 and 8 are a plurality of electric heaters 10, heat regulationbeing obtained in the oven by adjusting the relative positions of saidheaters 10 and movable shelves 5.

Walls l are composed of some heat-insulating material, such asinfuso-rial earth or a pulverized asbestos mixture. Movable rcds 2,provided with spaced inwardly-projecting lugs 3, are disposed withinrecesses et inside walls 1. The lugs V3 act as supports for the seriesof movable shelves 5, that severally consist of a heat-conducting plate6, anda plurality of heat-storing slabs 7, such as tile or soap-stone.Static-nary shelves 8 are similarly composed, and are .supported byPlates 6 on the two sets of shelves are adj acently disposed, andbetween them a plurality of electric heat-ing units 10, preferably ofthe bayonet type, are installed. The heating units 10 are secured in anysuitable manner as by means of clamps, to the plates 6. All the shelvesmaybe readily removed, when it is so desired. It

is understood that the structure of the said shelves 5 and 8, and ofsaid heaters 10, need not be limited to the specific details hereinmentioned, but may be of any other well known type.

The rods 2 and the associated shelves 5 may be raised and lowered asdesired by means of mechanism l1 shown in Fig. 1. The mechanism embodiesa base 12, to which the mo-vable rods 2 are attached, is provided with athreaded central recess 13. One end ofa jack-screw 14, having a bearingsupport in a pedestal 15, engagessaid threaded recess, a bevel gearwheel 16 being and which nism may equally attached to the other end. Asecond bevel gear wheel 17 -upon a shaft 18, which is likewise supportedin a bearing in pedestal 15, meshes with gear 16. Shaft 18 extendsthrough a second bearing in a pedestal 19 that is disposed near thefront of the oven.' A spur gear wheel20 is attached to the outer end ofshaft 18, and a pinion 21 meshes with said gear wheel. VPinion shaft 22is supported in a bearing in pedestal 19, and a suitable hand wheel 23fory rotating said shaft and consequently raising or lowering themovable shelves 5, is attached. to the outer end of said shaft. It is tobe understood that other forms of hoisting mechawell be employed.

The amounts of heat severallyv delivered to the top and bottom of thebaking compartments 24, formed by said shelves 5 and 8, are-regulated byadjusting the positions of the movable shelves 5 with respect to saidheaters 10 and also by altering the input to the heaters. It is evidentthat the amount of heat taken from each set of heaters 10 by theadjacent movable shelf 5 is inversely proportional to the distancebetween said set and said shelf, by reason of the heat-insulatingproperties of the air between them.

It is a fact well known to the art that different culinary productsrequire different degrees of heat at divers sections throughout theirmass. Rye bread and cake, for instance, must be furnished with adifferent heatdistribution from white bread, and likewise different fromeach other. This requirement is satisfactorily met by the finely gradedadjustment of heat distribution which is a property of my oven, that is,giving a dierent amount of heat to either the top or bottom of theproduct of the oven.

Each compartment .24 is furnished with a door 25 provided with a handle26.

In Fig. 4, all-the shelves 5 and 27 are made stationary. The heaters 10are disposed upon plates 28 which are attached tov the movable rods 2.By adjusting the position of the heaters 10, the distribution of heat tothe top and bottom of bakng compartments 2st may be regulated, ashereinbefore described.

In Fig. 5, upper shelves 29 are disposedl upon lugs 8 attached to rods2, thereby being adjustable in position. Lower shelves .30 are madestationary and the sets of heaters 10 are severally disposed upon .theupper surfaces thereof. The operation of the oven is identical with thathereinbefore described.

I do not wish to be restricted to fthe specific details herein setforth, but desire that only such limitations shall be imposed as areindicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an electric heating apparatus, the combination with a plurality ofsupporting members and a plurality of electric heating igiene? unitsdisposed adjacent thereto, of means' for varying the heat distributionon either side of said members.

2. In an electric oven, the combination with a plurality of shelves anda plurality of electric heating units disposed between said shelves andadjacent thereto, of means for eifecting a selective variation of heaton either side of said shelves.

3. In an electric oven, the combination with a plurality of pairs ofshelves and a plurality of electric heating units interposed betweeneach pair of shelves, of adjustable means foreifecting a selectivevariation of heat on either side of said pairs of shelves.

4e. In an electric heating apparatus, the combination with a pluralityof supporting members and a plurality of electric heating units disposedadjacent thereto, of means for effecting relative movement between andsuporting members and said heating units for regulating the amounts ofheat delivered` to thev several supporting members.

5. In an electricE oven, the combination with a plurality of shelves anda plurality of electric heating units disposed between said shelves andadjacent thereto, of means tor effecting relative movement between saidshelves and said heating units for regulating the amounts of heatdelivered to the several shelves.

6. In an electric oven, the combination with a plurality of stationaryshelves and plurality of electric `heating units associated therewith,of a plurality of movable shelves severally disposed adjacent to saidstationary shelves and adapted to move relative to said heating unitsfor varying the heat distribution in portions of the oven adjacent tosaid shelves.

-7.` In an electric oven, the combination with a plurality of stationaryheat-storing shelves and' a plurality of electric heating units disposedadjacent thereto, of a plurality of movable heat-storing shelvesseverally disposed adjacent and adapted to be finely adjustable inposition relative to said heating units for varying the heatdistribution in portions of the Ioven adjacent to said shelves.

8. In 'an electric oven, the combination with a plurality of removableheat-storing stationary shelves, of a plurality of similarmovable'shelves severally adjacent thereto, a plurality of electricheating units interposed between each pair of shelves, and megnslgfgrJadjusting the position of said movable shelves relative to said heatingunits for regulating the heat distribution in portions of the ovenadjacent t'o said pairs of shelves. I

9. In an electric oven, the combination with a plurality of removableheat-storing stationary shelves, of a plurality of similar movableshelves severally adjacent thereto,

to said stationary shelves v a plurality of sets of electric heatingunits interposed between each pair of shelves, being assembled inproximity to said stationary shelves, and adjusting mechanism foreffecting movement of said movable shelves for regulating the heatdistribution in portions of the oven adjacent t6 said pairs of shelves.i

10. In an electric oven, the combination' with a plurality of pairs ofstationary shelves, of a plurality of sets of electric heating unitsinterposed between each pair of shelves, and means adaptedto move saidheaters, as a unitary structure, relative to said tribution in portionssaid pairs of shelves.

l1. In an electric oven, the combination with a plurality of pairs ofspaced removable heat-storing stationary shelves, of a plurality of setsof movable electric heating units interposed between each pair of saidshelves, and adjusting mechanism for effecting movement of said movableheating units, as a unitary structure, relative to said shelves forregulating the heat distribution in portions of the oven adjacent tosaid pairs of shelves.

l2. In an electric oven, the combination of the oven adjacent to shelvesfor regulating the heat dis.

with a plurality of pairs of shelves, the several upper shelves beingmade stationary and the several lower shelves being movable with respectthereto, of a plurality of sets of electric heating units severallydisposed upon the lower surfaces of the stationary upper shelves, andmechanism for effecting movementof said movable lower shelves forregulating the heat distribution in portions of the oven adjacent tosaid pairs of shelves.

13. In an electric oven, the combination with a plurality of pairs ofshelves, the several lower shelves being made stationary and the several'upper shelves being movable with respect thereto, of a plurality ofsets of electric heating units severally disposed upon the uppersurfaces of the stationary lower shelves, and mechanism for effectingmovement oi said movable upper shelves for regulating the heatdistribution in portions of the oven adjacent to said pairs of shelves.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th dayof J anuary, 1913.

EDWARD E. ROSE.

Witnesses:

HERBERT E. RUGGLES, B. B. HINES.

